A bye week, and the Thursday night game looming. The questions are still on the O-line, at DE and linebackers. To say nothing of the health of DeCicco and Taglianetti at safety.
There’s a decent amount of confidence at DE where Brandon Lindsay will get the start, and it is expected that there will be a lot more rotation of players to help. In the secondary, Jason Hendricks has shown improvement after being forced into a starting role at safety.
The newcomers already are making an impact. Lindsey, a redshirt junior starting for Romeus, had two sacks against New Hampshire, while Hendricks, a redshirt freshman starting for DeCicco, had five tackles and continues to draw praise from his coaches.
The 6-foot-2, 250-pound Lindsey will start again in place of Romeus, who is out at least six weeks after having back surgery Thursday. Clemmings (6-6, 280), one of the top recruits of the Wannstedt era, will learn on the fly rather than being redshirted.
DeCicco and Taglinetti both returned to practice last week and could be available for the Miami game. Their absence allowed Hendricks to flourish and gave a glimpse of Gray, the converted former standout Texas prep quarterback.
The safeties will be tested in the Miami game, as Miami QB Jacory Harris does like to throw in the middle of the field. That will also test the linebackers in pass coverage.
